Golden Child
by love.fiercely
Summary: Natsu and Happy find an unexpected companion on their 1 year training journey. Is she the key to a bright future? What is she anyway? NaLu, Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Intuition

Hi everyone!

Ok, this is my first story, and I wanted to start it off with a ridiculously long AN - you know, to really set things off on a good note ^_^ please feel free to skip to the word "Hiro"!

*Spoilers*

How many of you have looked at Fairy Tail's timeline all mashed up together? Because seriously, it's just crazy. I wanted to set this fic sometime close to the end of Natsu's year long training mission, but once I started looking at the timeline I realized it would be impossible to make anything fit anywhere in the canon - there are no gaps.

If you include all the time Natsu and Lucy have been conscious (aka - excluding the 7 year timeskip), up to when Natsu leaves after Eclipse - they have only known each other for a maximum of 9 months. Really, though. If you count the time after Natsu returns and he and Lucy decide to reunite the guild, it's only been _maybe_ another 3 months between then and all the craziness with Alvarez.

So, not including the time Natsu spent away from everyone when Lucy was basically alone - they've been around each other for a MAXIMUM of 11 months, and I'm being pretty generous there.

This super short timeframe includes the Tower of Heaven, Edolas, the GMG, Eclipse… oh and the party in the Celestial Spirit World that lasted about 3 months on Earthland, so go ahead and subtract another 3 months from the 11 mentioned above! This brings our total to a whopping 8 months.

In fact, the length of time between Lucy joining the guild and everyone being sealed on Tenroujima WAS LESS THAN 6 MONTHS. It's no wonder Lucy was freaked out about the S-Class trials - she'd not even been in the guild for half a year at the time!

I am stunned. The couple everyone is shipping have known each other for less than 2 years and one of them was spent with them separated. This also gives a whole new perspective on Lucy's character. This is a rich girl who lost her mother, ran away from home, had an emotionally abusive father, rejected her hoity-toity lifestyle, never really trained for combat until recently, and is now being put in crazy situations with people who have trained for LITERALLY THEIR WHOLE LIVES. Suddenly she has to learn how to properly defend herself, rapidly master her magic, learn how to function in team situations, and still she immediately jumps in to defend people she's only known for mere months - initially weeks - with her life. I already thought she was great, but man - that's just overwhelmingly awesome. I'm not so irritated with her tendency to become a damsel in distress now - plus, in recent chapters, she's dropped a lot of that feeling (even when she does get captured).

Not to mention Natsu's immediate attachment to her. (Though sometimes I wonder if this was pre-ordained with her being named "Lucy" (Light) and Natsu having the whole "leading demon of Tartaros" thing going for him while specifically calling her "Luce" which is even more specifically "light".) This just further encourages my belief that NaLu is/will be canon. (MASHIMA BASICALLY CONFIRMED IT! *fangirls ecstatically*) Natsu doesn't seek out anyone's attention like he seeks Lucy's - though it can be said that Fairy Tail mages in general are incredibly accepting and more-than-borderline invasive - he only pairs himself off with her, and Mashima intentionally had them find each other first after Natsu's year-long absence. He behaves more intimately with her than with guildmates he's known since he was a child. Yes, he tends to just jump headlong into relationships like he does with everything else, but it is still obvious that he sees Lucy differently than he sees others - even Lisanna. And, even if Lucy doesn't see Natsu as a romantic interest at the moment (which she might if recent chapters are any indication *cries about manga ending*), it doesn't mean she won't in the future - because, again, they'd only known each other for 8ish months before Natsu ran off on his own with Happy. Far be it from me to denounce the validity of a love formed in 8 months! That was more than long enough for me to know I would marry my husband, and we've been together for 8 years now. Man, I'm old.

Anyway, I'm just ranting now. All of that to say - this fic will begin outside the timeline sometime during Natsu's year of training. Just act as though the whole "Makarov leaving to go figure Zeref out" thing isn't happening yet, but might happen sometime in the future. ^^

*Spoilers over!*

I'm writing this to practice with character portrayal and development, so some characters may end up OOC, but I'm going to try to stick pretty close to their traditional personalities. I also really wanted to write a NaLu fic, so there's that. On with the show!

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail! I just force his characters to get up to no good (or _very_ good ~_^).

* * *

Natsu was confused.

While traversing life as a dragon slayer, he had grown accustomed to his sometimes overwhelming senses of hearing and smell - the vast majority of which he had learned to tune out as a child. What's the point in being distracted by literally everything within a mile radius? He did, however, have a catalog of familiar scents and sounds that he was always aware of - food, his guildmates, fear, aggression, etc. - foremost of these belonging to his blonde partner who _should_ currently be halfway across the continent from him.

"Should" being the keyword since he could smell her at that very moment. Well, more like he could smell something that seemed to have been touched by her. Kind of like how Lucy's bed had its own smell, but was covered in hers. Natsu trusted his sense of smell above all else. He knew he wasn't wrong. Stardust, plum blossoms, and something deep and heady that was inherently, specifically her. He crossed his arms and turned his face toward the scent. Opening his senses a bit more, he noticed a second scent that definitely belonged to a human… a very young female human. That explained why his instincts didn't bother him sooner; there was no way they'd consider a little girl a threat.

Happy noticed Natsu's furrowed brows and thousand-yard stare as he munched on a fresh fish. Natsu was still getting over future Lucy's death and would sometimes withdraw - even to the point of forgetting about his food halfway through eating it. The first time that happened, Happy couldn't get his attention at all and, after ten minutes of trying, had resigned himself to curling up on Natsu's lap until he snapped out of it more than half an hour later. The more Natsu trained the less it happened, but it was still disconcerting.

"I'm fine, Happy." Natsu said without turning away from the strange scent that had suddenly wafted from the middle of the woods. "Stay here for a minute, ok? I'll be right back."

"... Aye, sir."

Natsu stood and made his way toward the trees at the edge of the clearing where he and Happy had made their make-shift home. He could hear and smell the numerous forest creatures slowly milling about in the afternoon heat, but couldn't hear the girl. She couldn't have been moving much, if at all, because the undulating drone of cicadas completely drowned out any small sounds she might've been making. Natsu found himself worrying for her wellbeing. Judging by her scent, she couldn't have been much more than five years old and she was alone. Not to mention she smelled like Lucy - which, to him, was reason enough to worry. He could tell he was getting close. The scent was intensifying and he could hear small, shallow breathing somewhere nearby.

She was hiding. It smelled as though she'd been walking in circles around the base of a gnarled old tree. Her breathing quieted. She could see him. Natsu sank to rest on his haunches beneath the tree and closed his eyes to let her know he wasn't a threat - he knew what it was like to be small and alone.

"It's ok for you to come out," he said, hearing her jump at the sound of his voice. "I won't hurt you. I can tell you're exhausted by your breathing. If you want some food and a safer place to rest, I can take you to meet my friend Happy. He's small like you, but he's a little older, I think."

He heard leaves rustling above him, but opted to keep still.

Ever the show-off, he couldn't keep a grin from spreading across his face. "If you want, I can even show you some really neat magic! I can tell you use magic too! I bet it's something awesome like Lucy's celestial magic since you smell like her! But, I guess even if you used ice magic like the stripping popsicle it'd be alright."

Bright eyes watched the strange, pink-haired adult from above. She couldn't help but giggle at his odd words and spastic emotions - he seemed so excited while talking about "Lucy" but his voice had immediately dropped to a low, irritable grumble when mentioning the "stripping popsicle," whatever that was. Of course, he was right when he said she was exhausted. She'd been wandering around the forest for hours with no sense of direction at all. She didn't even know how she'd gotten to the forest in the first place.

"What's your name?" The man asked her.

"Orelia." She said.

"It's nice to meet you Oreo! I'm Natsu. Are you ok with me standing up now? I can help you out of the tree if you need it."

To Natsu's surprise, he heard her drop nearly fifteen feet to land a few paces to his left. He heard her walk slowly toward him and felt small hands touching his. Somehow, the gesture was nostalgic.

"It's ok," she said, "I'm not afraid anymore. And my name is _Orelia_ , not Oreo."

Natsu opened his eyes and was momentarily stunned by the sheer loveliness of the child's face. She had large, vibrant - nearly glowing - seafoam green eyes, freckles on her little nose in spite of her tan skin, and pronounced cheekbones all framed by fluttery peach-colored hair. This was all in stark contrast to her wide, overly sharp smile and the plethora of leaves and sticks stuck at odd angles in her hair. Natsu shook his head and wondered for a second if she was actually human - she looked for all the world like some kind of forest sprite. She couldn't be, though; underneath all that Lucy smell, she smelled like sunlight, and mint, and… and he could swear there was a hint of woodfire in there, but he shrugged it off since he'd probably carried the scent with him from the campsite. At any rate, she was certifiably human.

"Well," he said while standing, "Wanna go meet my friend?"

"Sure," she replied, placing her tiny left hand in his right as they walked.

"So, what are you doing in the woods?"

"I'm not sure."

"Do you know where you're from?"

"No… I know I'm Orelia, but that's it."

"Do you know how old you are?"

Her steps slowed as she thought for a moment. "Five," she said, fanning out the fingers on her right hand and smiling up at him.

Natsu punched his free hand into the air, "YES! FIVE! I knew it! Score one for the nose! Wait, you're really tired, right? You wanna ride?" She nodded as he picked her up and settled her on his shoulders. Orelia wrapped her arms around the white scarf on his neck and rested her chin in his long pink hair. She was surprised to find his hair smelled like burning incense - though she couldn't remember how she knew what incense was - and relaxed into his overly warm hold.

"You're gonna love Happy!" He continued, hoping to keep her from dwelling on her obvious amnesia, "He'll be so excited to have someone to play with when I have to train alone!"

Though he was still curious about the apparently permanent Lucy-scent attached to the child, Natsu was content, for now, to revel in the warm feeling that seeped into his bones as though the busty blonde was walking right beside him. After months of traveling without her and beating himself up over the death of her alternate-future self, the universe had seen fit to send Natsu an adorable, interactive, Lucy-scented, Happy playmate. He wasn't about to question it.

Happy had tried very hard to keep watch while Natsu trekked into the forest by himself. He wasn't worried about Natsu's safety or about waiting alone - the two had stayed in this clearing for months with visits only from passing animals - but he still wanted to be responsible and keep an eye out. However, with his little tummy so full of fish, and the sun so warm, and his spot on the grass so comfortable, he decided a short nap was in order after all his _hard work_ earlier that morning.

That's how Natsu and Orelia found him - sprawled out on a sunny patch of clover mumbling incoherent syllables in his sleep that sounded vaguely like "fish" and "Charle".

Natsu smiled impishly up at Orelia and held a finger to his lips.

"Watch this," he whispered.

With Orelia still on his shoulders, he crept behind the defenseless Exceed, crouched down with his hands cupped to his lips, and screeched:

"HAPPY, IT'S HORRIBLE! LUCY ATE ALL THE FISH!"

The poor fish-loving feline jolted from his peaceful slumber, flying around in tight spirals in search of the blonde culprit wailing, "NOOOOOOO! LUCY WHYYYYYY?!"

Orelia nearly fell from Natsu's shoulders as she laughed at their antics. She had not expected any of this at all - a talking blue cat was strange enough, but a _flying_ talking blue cat? She had originally thought "Happy" was an odd name, but now she realized Happy was odd anyway, so the name suited him.

Hearing her small, tinkling giggles grow into a fit of full-fledged belly-laughter, Natsu smiled to himself - proud of the prank's effect - and placed her on the ground in front of him. Happy had finally woken up completely and flopped onto Natsu's head in exasperation.

"Natsuuuuu, that was mean…. I miss Lucy…. I miss her so much that my nose thinks she's right here…."

"Sorry buddy, I know it smells like her. That's why I ran off in the first place! But I brought a friend you need to meet - this is Oreo!"

Happy finally noticed the laughing girl in front of Natsu. He floated down to her and held out a paw for her to shake.

"Hi! I'm Happy! You're pretty for a human, but you smell like a weirdo."

"Um…. I'm _Orelia_ ," she emphasized while shaking his paw, "I don't think I smell weird, and you're weirder because you're a flying, talking, blue cat. So there."

"NATSU! She smells like Lucy and she's mean like her too!"

"I know! Isn't it great?! You two can play together instead of just waiting for me to finish training every day!"

Orelia yawned, suddenly overcome with exhaustion. "I hope you know some good games to play, cat, because I can't think of any," she rubbed her eyes as she curled up in her spot on the ground.

Happy eyed the girl as she quickly nodded off. "I hope she's more fun when she wakes up," he said.

* * *

"Good Morning!" Orelia shouted as she body-slammed her new best friends.

"Missed me!" Happy shouted as he dodged and let Natsu take the brunt of the attack, "Hahaha! You thought you could get the Amazing Happy five days in a row?" He wagged a prideful finger in her direction.

Natsu, on the other hand, decided to counterattack.

"SURPRISE-ULTRA-INCREDIBLE-SUPER-TICKLE-EXPLOSION!"

Orelia tried to get away, but she was no match for the much larger mage. She cried and squirmed as tears of laughter obscured her vision.

"Ok, what have we learned?" Natsu asked.

"I won't say it."

"Really?" He wiggled his fingers menacingly.

"AH! OK! It's impossible to sneak up on the best, most awesome, Natsu Dragneel: Dragon Slayer… Extraordinaire." She grumbled.

"Exactly. Now, my adoring fan, wanna go catch breakfast?"

"Fine. Watch out though. I'll get you when you least expect it." She narrowed her bright eyes at him before growing thoughtful. "Natsu-nii, what does extraordinaire mean?"

"It means ME!" He picked the small girl up and placed her on his shoulders - a steadily solidifying habit he'd established. "When you meet my friends Lucy and Levy, they're going to love you and try to teach you everything you don't already know." They bickered back and forth on their way to the river.

Natsu and Happy had been delighted to discover that Orelia was a natural fisher-woman. She'd also been able to do just about everything else they'd presented her with - she helped Happy train by holding his feet to see how long he could hover with extra weight, she helped gather firewood and knew how to pick the best, driest wood and stack it the best way so it would burn the longest, she somehow even knew how to clean fish, but Natsu and Happy didn't carry a knife with them, so she'd sharpened a rock all on her own and used it without cutting herself once. Yet, some words and all of her personal memories still escaped her.

It was hard to believe the child was only five years old.

Still, during Natsu and Happy's more intense training, she was ordered to sit on the sidelines and watch, so she'd also become something of a cheerleader - if yelling insults and posing in mocking postures counts.

After lunch - first lunch, really - she and Happy would play games while Natsu headed off to another clearing to train alone. Orelia was supposed to stay with Happy, but once the feline fell asleep for the fifth day in a row, she decided it was time to go find Natsu.

* * *

Natsu had secluded himself in the center of a recently-scorched clearing a few minutes' walk from their little home. He and Happy already worked as a virtually seamless team, but the possibility of hurting him, not to mention Lucy and his other guildmates and now Orelia, had persuaded the fiery mage to meditate as the core of his training. Punching and kicking and roaring were fun, and usually pretty damn effective, but he knew that as his magic power grew, the chance of incinerating his teammates (… and forests… and towns) increased as well. As such, Natsu had left his unfortunately flammable companions to have fun without him. He had been working for months on controlling his magical aura to the extent that he could now choose what would burn and what would remain unaffected. He had gained substantial confidence in this ability, but not enough yet to chance endangering his friends.

Super-heated air shimmered and danced in the clearing around him, though nothing but the air itself seemed to burn - the grass around him was still cool and green. He was pleased with his progress and expanded the heat to encompass the grass. Smoke and steam billowed and swirled upward as the green blades caught fire. Through the crackling and burning, he heard footsteps and noticed a familiar smell. Cracking open a single eye, he spied peachy hair flowing in the waves of heat and small bare feet walking calmly toward him through the smoldering brush.

"Reli!" he breathed, abandoning the aura and scrambling upward into a run. "What are you doing? Your feet are gonna blister! Didn't I ask you to stay with Happy til I got back?!" He swept her off the ground and over his head to inspect her feet… her _completely pristine, undamaged_ _feet_. He lowered her to hold her like a toddler, little legs around his waist, and gave her a pointed look that clearly said it was time to explain.

She smiled her over-large smile at him, "Happy fell asleep _again_ and I got _reeeeeeeally_ bored. But don't worry, Natsu-nii! You can't burn me! Can I meditate with you?"

Natsu was puzzled… and a bit offended. " _Can't_?" He said incredulously - pouting at the presumptuous little girl. "What do you mean, _can't_? _I_ can burn _anything_! Not that I want to… but still."

Laughing at his childish expression, she said, "You can't burn a sun because it's already on fire! That's where my magic comes from, so I'm fireproof!"

"Your power comes from the sun?! Can you make fire?!" His wounded pride forgotten, Natsu was suddenly beside himself with excitement. A sniggering Orelia had to cling to his scarf to keep from falling. "Wait," he paused, "are your memories coming back? How did you know that's where your magic comes from?"

Her laughter quieted. "I don't remember... I just know that it does. I can feel it." She smiled fondly toward the noonday sun. "I can feel it a little at night, but during the day is when I feel the strongest! I don't know if I can make fire or not…. "

"Well," he said, "if heat really doesn't affect you, then sure you can meditate with me! But let's test it first. I don't wanna hurt you." He put her down and held a flaming hand out, but was surprised - again - when she plopped her sharp chin straight onto his fiery open palm.

She was right. Her melon-colored hair danced in the waves of heat, but she wasn't in pain and he couldn't smell any burning flesh.

"See? I told you!" She grinned at her trick.

"THIS. IS. AWESOME!" Natsu crowed, falling flat onto his back. "Even Romeo and Macao aren't _totally_ fireproof!" He had stars in his eyes as he imagined all the fun he could have with a _completely fireproof training partner_. Sure, she was currently only five years old, but the future possibilities were _endless!_

Orelia giggled as she watched his antics - he was nearly foaming at the mouth! She really did want to try meditating though, so, surprising Natsu yet again, she crawled onto his lap as he sat up. Facing away from him and leaning her back against his chest, she criss-crossed her legs over his and virtually sparkled with determination.

"Ok! I'm ready!" she said.

At first Natsu thought to protest - what five year old child has the attention span to meditate for an hour or more without moving? But seeing her already intense focus, and again being enveloped in Lucy's heady scent and Orelia's own strangely comforting one, he was willing to test out the heart-warming arrangement even if it only lasted a few minutes. _It's a good thing Gray isn't here,_ he thought. _I'd never hear the end of this._

"Alright," he said, shifting back into his own cross-legged meditation pose. "Just focus on your magic. You don't hafta produce anything flashy, just feel for its flow and get comfortable with it. Let me know if the air gets too stuffy for you, ok?" She nodded silently in reply and Natsu could instantly feel the steady pulse of her magic as she set to work.

Three hours passed without interruption. Three. Natsu knew he needed to check in with Happy soon - he was actually surprised that the easily-worried Exceed hadn't panicked and torn immediately through the forest to find Natsu upon noticing Orelia's absence. Natsu could smell the rekindled campfire and even dared to hope this was one of Happy's thoughtful days in which he started skewering fish before Natsu made it back. Orelia was probably hungry too - at least Natsu was certain _he_ was, so surely she was as well, right?

He couldn't help but to be impressed by the young girl. Few adults could manage the focus needed to meditate for more than ten minutes - let alone more than three hours - and this child had done it on what Natsu assumed was her first try, while surrounded by his own superheated aura that continuously fluctuated as he experimented with its boundaries. To say she was in a distracting environment would be a major understatement.

He let his chin fall on top of her fluffy head. "Reli," he said, "are you ready to go eat? We can stay longer if you really want to, but I'm hungry."

Silence.

"Uh…. Reli? You alright? Ya sleepin'?" He leaned to the side to catch a glimpse of her face.

Her eyes were open… and glowing a soft, molten gold.

"Orelia!" Natsu felt a wave of unfamiliar panic shoot like lightning through his veins as he flipped her tiny frame around to face him. Thankfully, she looked calm. Her breathing was even and unlabored, but she was obviously in some kind of magical trance. Her head lolled to the side as Natsu gingerly shook her by the shoulders.

"Hey, Peachy!" he demanded, "Come back to me!" _Dammit,_ He mentally berated himself, _I bet she's been out of it like this for more than an hour and I didn't even fucking notice!_ He could tell she was still… awake-ish. Her magic was still happily thrumming away like it had been since they had started at noon - otherwise he would have noticed her unusual state much sooner. Seeing that she seemed fine other than not answering him, the panic began to subside, but uncomfortable adrenaline stuck around. His heart still clanged an erratic beat and he felt like he could run all the way to Magnolia and back without stopping….

But, he didn't know what to do now except wait… whiiiich, if he was honest with himself, he wasn't any good at. Porlyusica was much too far away to reach in any reasonable time frame anyway, so he'd just have to take Reli to a doctor in the nearest town if she didn't wake up soon….

An odd sense of failure slowly ghosted over his mind. He felt very keenly that he'd let this mysterious little girl down.

He chalked it up to her smelling like Lucy.

 _Shit,_ he thought, _even with Happy here to help, I can't take care of a badass, freakishly self-sufficient five-year-old for a week without messing up… what kind of man am I?_

He tried to close her eyes gently - the glowing, unblinking stare on her pretty little face was admittedly creepy - but to no avail. He turned her face into his shoulder to avoid the unnerving gaze. Sighing in frustration and defeat, he gathered her limp form in his arms and set off back to the camp near the river.


	2. Chapter 2: Timeless

"Natsu! Orelia! You're back! Hey, is she hurt?!"

Happy's emotions rapidly shifted from relief to alarm as Natsu laid Orelia on the ground near the fire. The confused Exceed was perturbed by her golden eyes. "When I woke up," he said, "I knew she'd gone to find you because she'd been complaining about wanting to meditate all morning… I'd have gone to find her if I thought something bad was gonna happen! This is all my fault!" He buried his face in his paws.

"Eh, I think she's ok, Hap. You were right - she came to find me and she was with me the whole time. This is my fault… don't blame yourself." Natsu shrugged. "Her vitals are fine, though, and she doesn't seem stressed out, so I think it's best to just wait till she comes 'round." He calmly scratched the back of his neck beneath his pink hair, though he still secretly felt the need to shake the leftover adrenaline out of his system. No use in worrying Happy more than necessary.

"AHH!" Happy screeched in mock terror. "Something horrible DID happen! Natsu's being rationaaaaaal!"

"Hey, I'm always rational!" Natsu groused, but his stomach decided food was more important than arguing so he let it go. "What's for dinner, buddy?" he asked.

"Only the freshest, most perfect fish in the world!" Happy exclaimed, Orelia's state momentarily forgotten, "We picked the best camping spot ever! I'll have to bring Charle here someday and show her how great fresh fish can be!" He glanced toward Orelia and worry overtook his features again. "You really think she'll be ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, I do. I'm not getting any warning signs from her, so lets wait and see what happens. If she's still out of it in the morning, we'll find somewhere to take her."

"….. Aye, sir."

* * *

Orelia was floating.

All around her was an undulating, warm, shimmering, golden light.

She wondered briefly how she had wound up in the ocean and immediately sucked in an experimental breath that was, thankfully, not full of water.

She was positive that she had been meditating with Natsu-nii only moments ago, but felt like she'd been floating for an awfully long time. Still, she was content to float in the comfortable warmth, so she let her mind wander and thought idly that the place was really very pretty and quiet… silent, in fact.

But then, starting with a single, growing note, there was suddenly a sweet almost-music that seemed to come from everywhere. Orelia closed her eyes and tried to listen for the melody, but there wasn't one. It was a simple jumble of bright notes that tinkled and reverberated and danced around one another - almost like a million wind-chimes played all at once, though it didn't quite sound like chimes…. more like…. metallic singing.

Orelia felt as if this not-quite-music somehow spoke to her - as if, if she listened hard enough, she could understand it like words.

So, that's what she did.

At first it was just a pleasant, flowing nonsense that pressed into her from all sides, but she could slowly make out meaning. One little voice was singing about patterns and order - it was the easiest to pick out because it was so consistent. Another sang brightly and happily of hope and patience. She heard myriad other disorganized musical phrases - growing plants, weather, instincts, conquest - even seemingly mundane things like dirt and chores. Yet another, a little deeper than the others, sang of relationships, love, and loss...

She felt tears fill her eyes as the magnificence took hold of her, and she let them fall freely.

"Lia, my little star," she heard a soft, human voice call to her, "Your new friends are worried for you, love. You should go back."

"But, this is everything anyone could ever want," Orelia answered. "This is the _source_ , right? Why should I go back when it's all here?"

"You can return here anytime you wish," the voice now held an androgynous, metallic tone and Orelia wondered if it was the same person. The voice continued, "But, though you are welcome here, this place is not meant to be a home. You've always been astute for your age - you know your life is moving forward without you as you listen here."

 _I've always been astute_ …. "…. Do you know me? Who are you? Can you help me to remember!?" Her questions ran together as she was carried away by excitement.

"Child!" The voice gently cut her off, laughing a tumbling waterfall of notes, "I have been called many names through the ages, but you already know who I am."

"You're….. the Sun, aren't you?"

"As I said, quite the astute child. You may call me Sol if you wish - it's one of my more recent titles and the one I called myself when we first met. As you told your wonderfully fiery companion earlier, your magic is _connected_ to me, though you are wrong to say it _comes_ from me. I do amplify your already formidable power, and give form to your abilities, but the power itself is yours. You currently see yourself as a Child of the Sun, but in truth you are a _Starchild_. You wield the physical powers of the stars that watch over you - I am just fortunate enough to be the closest star to you. We are quite excited to again have a Starchild among us - the Centauri triplets have been pestering me to reestablish contact with you, so when you opened your mind I capitalized on it. It has been a while, though, since you and I first met, and it seems that you've appeared outside of your original timeline. That may have something to do with your memory loss…. The events you would normally remember technically haven't happened yet - they may never happen at all in this story."

Orelia wasn't sure how to respond - astute or not, she was still a very young child who had recently lost her memories and appeared confused and alone in a foreign forest. Meeting someone she'd met before without recognizing them was confusing… and disheartening.

Sol felt the girl's inner turmoil and attempted to lift her spirits. "Regardless, you're back with us. Time doesn't affect us the same way it affects mortals, so I know you. You and I have been friends since you were born - before really - which probably resulted in you seeming old for your age. Anyway, I only wished to say hello this time, but that mother of yours is a piece of work. She pushed her way in here with her magic so she could use me to speak to you - even through the barriers of time, the clever woman. Now, you need to wake up before that son of Igneel has a panic attack and rushes you off to a doctor for nothing. Tell him he needs to come and introduce himself since his father and I were friends! And greet your mother for me if you get the chance!"

Sol's voice faded quickly. Orelia noticed the golden light was dissipating around her and the beautiful not-music was melting away into the sounds of the forest and a low, crackling fire. The weightless feeling was replaced by a limp heaviness, and she realized she was being cradled by something that was pleasantly warm. She blinked and rubbed her stinging eyes - how long had they been open? She whined in protest to the painful sensation.

At her sudden movements, the person holding her lifted her higher to inspect her face.

"Reli! You're back!" Natsu let out a heavy sigh and hugged her tightly, burying his face into her pastel hair. "I didn't know what to do… I couldn't help you… I was so worried…."

Orelia could tell it was early - probably only a couple of hours left until sunrise - and Natsu had obviously not slept. His heartbeat was frenzied and he had to force his breathing to slow. Orelia patted his wild hair and waited for him to calm down.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the slayer and Starchild, Happy was feigning sleep while observing his old friend.

He'd known Natsu since his own birth and had seen how quickly and easily the guy poured his heart into his friendships. This, however, was strange. Natsu had been drawn to her from the moment Happy first saw the two together. Happy was also aware that Orelia smelled like Lucy, but, with Lucy, Natsu was wild and attention-seeking and…. well, dense. So, though it was normal for Natsu to be much calmer when he and Happy went on solo missions, this side of him was unexpected. He was still a show-off, as usual, but he seemed to actually be extremely attentive toward Orelia - never going so far as to scare her or endanger her - and the girl simply adored him. Happy hated label it, but, watching Natsu cradle the small girl to his chest… _fatherly_ was the only word that came to mind. Some people saw Natsu and Happy as something akin to "father and son," though the two partners understood that their relationship was much closer to brotherhood than anything else.

Therefore, Happy, more than anyone, could tell the difference between _brotherly_ and _fatherly_. This was a new kind of affection he had never seen from Natsu. It wasn't exactly… doting, but Happy could see it in the way Natsu held her hand as he led her around and the way he watched her little face as she slept - almost as if making sure she was still breathing.

Happy certainly liked the child too; she reminded him of Natsu in many ways, though her curiosity was more calculating than reckless. He would be lying if he said he hadn't also fallen for her and he knew that she was slowly but surely beginning to fill the role of "little sister". But, he couldn't say that he was completely attached to her yet - as should be expected after only knowing someone for a few days.

Amazingly though - in less than a week - this random little girl had captured Natsu's heart in a manner that Happy hadn't seen since they met Lucy…. _It must be because of her Lucy-ish scent_ , he thought, _I guess I should wait and ask Natsu about it._

As he started dozing again he decided that he didn't mind this new side of Natsu anyway. Bizarre stuff had always happened around their group, and this particular bizarre happening didn't seem to be life-threatening, so he didn't have any reason to be worried. They would deal with whatever it was when the time came. Tonight he was just glad Orelia was ok - for her own sake as well as Natsu's.

* * *

Natsu released his tight hold on Orelia and rested his forehead against hers for a moment. He had only stayed awake a few extra hours, but felt as though he hadn't slept for days. It's amazing how much energy worrying takes out of you.

"You were out of it for nearly thirteen hours…." he said quietly, "You missed dinner, so you've gotta be hungry. We have leftover fish that I can heat up from earlier, and then we can talk about what on Earthland _that_ was."

She nodded, suddenly ravenous, and relieved he was at least a little calm.

He smiled softly and patted her head as he rose to grab the cold skewered fish for her.

"Your eyes stayed open and glowed the whole time you were out, by the way. That's why they hurt when you came to. Do you want these fish SUPER hot? Or just normal hot? You don't eat fire, do you?"

"Sol didn't say anything about me eating fire, so I don't think I do. I guess normal hot is good!" She had followed, bouncing behind him and getting hungrier by the second. "Please!" she added as an afterthought.

"Sol, huh? Is Sol from a memory? Or did you meet… them... while you were... away?" He placed two fish between his hands and heated them to what he thought might be a "normal" edible temperature. "Here," he said, handing her the two skewers, "is that good?" She took a bite and nodded as he sat next to her by the fire.

"I met Sol there," Orelia began between bites, "but they said they remembered me from another time even though I don't remember. Sol said... I have my own power, but stars make me stronger and Sol is the closest one, so that's why daytime makes me feel stronger than nighttime. They said I'm a Starchild.… I heard my mama's voice, but I didn't recognize it… and Sol said they knew your papa… Iggy?"

"IGNEEL? You met someone who knew Igneel?!" Natsu's melancholy instantly vanished at the mention of his father. He stared, dumbstruck, at Orelia who nodded happily as she started on her second fish.

"Mhm, Sol said your papa was their friend and that you should go say hi sometime!"

Natsu was piecing things together as fast as his selectively-sharp mind could decipher. "So," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose and trying his best to be patient, "Sol… is the closest star to us. Meaning Sol is the sun. You said Sol was friends with Igneel, which means Igneel was friends with the sun…. I guess that's not that strange since he was the Fire Dragon King… but, holy…. You met the sun? The sun has a personality? And you're a Starkid? I don't even know that is! And Sol knows your mom, but you don't…. That's sad. Did they tell you 'er name? What'd she sound like?"

Orelia rubbed her full tummy happily and, quite exhausted, curled up on the ground next to Natsu. "Sol didn't say her name, but her voice was pretty and soft," she grinned into her words. "She called me Lia, but I still knew she was talking to me. She said you and Happy were worried about me. I could hear her love over all the singing stars…."

"Wow…. You're really good at telling stories for a kid… Did'ja see what she looked like?"

"No… I couldn't see Sol either. All I could see was pretty gold light. Maybe if I go back mama'll talk to me again! Sol said I could go back if I wanted to, so I think I'll try tomorrow when we meditate again. They said they had more star friends for me to meet… the name sounded like sent-something…."

Natsu shot her a pointed look. "If you think I'm going to be ok with you risking going into unresponsive-glowing-eye-mode for thirteen hours two days in a row, you're dead wrong." He stretched and laid out on the ground beside her. "I know you'll learn to control it, but let's take it easy for tomorrow. Sleep's important and we need to make a trip into town anyway. Maybe they've got a library there and we can figure out what Starkids are…." He could already hear soft snores beside him and felt sleep coming over him too. It suddenly occurred to him how odd it was that he'd even considered going to a library…. _Crap,_ he thought, _Lucy's weird habits really have rubbed off on me…._


	3. Chapter 3: Legends Ring with Truth

_Huh, well aren't those two just adorable,_ Happy thought to himself. Orelia had curled her little fingers around Natsu's and had snuggled into his side in the chilly night.

… And both of them were snoring away like freight trains.

Happy padded over to the sleeping dragon-slayer and kicked him remorselessly upside the head. "Hey, Natsu! We need to get ready if we're going to town today! Let's make breakfast!"

"Uuuuugh, Happy, why….?"

"I'm telling Lucy you read her novel."

"NO! LUCE, HE'S LYING!" Natsu shot up and looked wildly around, prepared to fend off incoming projectiles.

Happy collapsed on the ground shaking with laughter. That reaction was even better than expected! Natsu was about to tackle his underhanded blue partner when a small voice interrupted them.

"Geez, you guys are loud…." Orelia rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Morning, Reli! Wanna help me fight Happy?" Natsu had grabbed Happy and was grinding his knuckles into the top of the Exceed's head amid wails of protest.

"Nah…" she yawned again, "What's for breakfast? Fish… _again_?" From under Natsu's fist, Happy shot her a horrified look at the blasphemous fish-hating.

"Yeah," Natsu paused in thought, allowing Happy to escape, "Unless you want to eat breakfast in town."

"In town?"

"Yeah! There's a restaurant there that has a breakfast buffet! They make me pay extra 'cause I eat so much, but it's good food and they're really nice! They even give me matches to set stuff on fire if we eat outside!"

"And they have great fish too!" Happy chirped.

Orelia's green eyes widened at the idea of someone making food for her that she didn't have to catch (and kill and clean) first.

"Can we leave right now?!" She asked.

"That's what I like to hear!" Natsu picked her up and settled her on his shoulders. "You ok with riding the whole way there?" he asked. "It's a long walk, so you can sleep a while longer if you want."

She yawned again and rested her chin on his head. "Ok," she said, and promptly nodded off. Yesterday had been more than a little overwhelming.

"So, Natsu?" Happy prodded after a few minutes of walking.

"Yeah?"

"…. I really like Orelia, and I want her to stay with us, but why are you acting… different around her? Is it because she smells like Lucy?"

Natsu thought about it for a moment. He'd wondered the same thing, but hadn't taken the time to dwell on it. "I don't know…. I guess I just feel responsible for her? I thought it was because of the Lucy-smell too, at first, but now I don't think that's the whole reason. There's just… somethin' about her. I know this sounds crazy… but it might be an instinct thing, because it just feels like I'm just _supposed_ to be there for her…." He smiled at the thought. "The smelling-like-Lucy thing is just an awesome bonus. I might not have found her at all if she didn't smell like Luce, though. That's why I looked for her."

"Think your nightmares and stuff going away has something to do with that?"

"…. Dunno. But I haven't had any since Reli showed up, huh? Future Lucy's death really messed me up…. So, maybe being around her scent calms my brain down… like it did back home."

"Huh…" Happy was surprised at his candidness. It wasn't like Natsu to intentionally hide things, but he wasn't exactly the most…. divulging person - mostly just because he tended to act rather than think or talk. Happy decided to have mercy on Natsu's emotions and reverted to their usual lighthearted banter.

"Well, I miss Lucy a lot, but you must miss her a ton more than me since you lllllliiike her!"

"Oi! You know I can't fight back because I'm holding Reli! Besides, you like Charle, so there!

* * *

"Hey Reli, we're here! Ready to eat?"

Happy plucked Orelia from Natsu's shoulders and flew her to the front of a little building with tables setup outside, then hurried away - presumably to ask the owner about fish.

She rubbed her eyes for the second time that morning. "Yeah! Do they have juice?"

"Of course!" He took her hand and led her inside where she was inundated with sounds and smells.

She'd never seen so much food in her life! Well, she assumed she hadn't, but couldn't be sure. She was immediately drawn to a table covered in a pyramid of tall, sparkly cups filled with layers of… stuff. She tugged Natsu along after her.

"What're these?" she asked, "They're so pretty!"

Natsu scratched his head. "I don't remember what they're called. I think it sounded like _party?…._ Anyway, my weird partner Lucy's obsessed with yogurt, so she made me try one once. They're pretty good! I just don't like sweet stuff that much. Spicy's way better."

Orelia hadn't once taken her eyes off the pretty, layered, " _party"_ things. They certainly looked like a party to her. "I _have_ to try them," she said.

Natsu was eerily reminded of a terrifying, armored, _armed_ red-head, and assured the young girl she could have as many as she wanted, but they'd start with one in case she didn't like it.

* * *

As it turned out Orelia did, in fact, love _parfaits_. So much so that she ate five of them before Natsu decided to cut her off - though not without the promise of getting more on the way back to camp. He'd witnessed the painful results of Lucy's yogurt binges and didn't want Orelia to make herself sick. He couldn't help but smile at the strange similarity between the two weirdos.

The reason they'd planned to trek into town in the first place was to replenish their stock of fishing line and go to the library, but Natsu suddenly had the idea to get Orelia some more appropriate camping clothes. Her little off-white dress was pretty cute, but camping in a dress didn't make much sense. _Not that that has ever mattered to Lucy_ , Natsu thought. He had found a kids clothing store during the previous winter to get a jacket for Happy, so he steered their little group in that direction.

A bell tinkled as they entered the small shop. Natsu sent Happy and Orelia off to explore together as he tracked down the shopkeeper.

He found the elderly owner behind the front counter. She smiled at him as he approached.

"It's so sweet that you've come shoppin' with your lit'l daughter! It's usually on'y us hens 'round 'ere," she said. "Her hair's such a unique, peachy color… Wit' your pink hair, I'd wager your wife's is a beau'iful golden blonde."

Natsu sputtered. Of course, his mind had instantly supplied Lucy as the beautiful, blonde wife. Was it only her hair that was beautiful? He could feel his face heating up as he tried to banish the idea, but his brain had latched solidly onto the image of Lucy cooking pancakes together with a toddling Orelia in his uncharacteristically clean kitchen. He swallowed hard.

"Oh, hah…" he finally choked out, "she's not my daughter, but I guess I'm kinda her guardian." He smiled as he watched Orelia and Happy pick out clothes together. Yeah, that kitchen fantasy wasn't going away anytime soon - as if he needed _more_ encouragement to be attracted to the blonde bombshell. _Thanks for the daydream fuel, old lady._

The shopkeeper raised a skeptical white eyebrow at him. "You _sure_ she's not yours? That child is _the. spittin'. image._ o' you but for the freckles and hair. She's even got your wolf-y teeth. Much cuter on 'er than you, they are. Those freckles must come from 'er mother."

 _Lucy does have freckles…._ he thought, _She just hides them with makeup most of the time even though she doesn't need it. God dammit, what am I even thinking?!_

"I mean…" Natsu's blush returned full-force as he awkwardly fiddled with his scarf. "She's five and I'm only nineteen…. I'm pretty sure I'd remember since I'd only have been like… _thirteen_ at the, uh… time…."

"Eh, I've known young'r parents," the woman said with a shrug. It was all Natsu could do not to face-palm. _Moving on…._

"Yeeeaaahsoanyway, last time I was here, I think someone said something about a tailor who can enchant clothes? Could you make hers fire-resistant and more durable? We're both fire-type mages, so she needs clothes that won't burn while we train."

"Oh, o' course," she replied. "We do that for t' local fire department all the time. Let me go 'n get Eustace right quick." She tottered off as a flustered Natsu lowered his head in relief.

A pile of clothes and a pair of sandals dropped onto the counter in front of him. "Happy and I decided on these!" Orelia beamed up at him. Natsu was proud to see they'd been practical with their decisions - mostly t-shirts with sun and star decals and, adorably enough, tiny harem pants like Natsu's. Happy was even carrying a hairbrush, a pair of little hiking boots, and a raincoat - though Natsu instinctively knew Orelia would never wear the last two unless she was desperate. _Oh well,_ he thought, _better to be prepared, I guess. Maybe I should get her one of_ _ **those**_ _instead of a raincoat…._

A deep voice pulled Natsu from his thoughts. "I'm Eustace. Madge said you were lookin' t' get some clothin' bespelled?" The stout, ebony-skinned man approached the trio with a comfortable smile. "Does t'garment size need t'be altered? Or is it jus' enchantin' today?" His eyes focused on Natsu. "Oh, I remember you," he said. "You were t' one with the question about clothes that could fit cats. You've a child with you this time? Lemme guess - girl you knocked up decided she dinnae want t' responsibility?" Happy pulled Orelia back defensively and glared at the man, but Orelia was just confused. She strongly felt that she hadn't been given away at all… not willfully, at least.

Natsu's patience, however, was wearing thin.

"First," he said, "the kid's right here. I don't mind people assuming she's my daughter, but don't go saying shit that would make her think she isn't wanted." He pointed an accusing finger in the shorter man's face. "Second, _No_. I _didn't_ knock-up some girl when I was _thirteen_. Just like I told the old lady, Reli isn't mine. I found her in the forest, and we've decided to travel together while her memories are messed up. _Which is why we're here getting her clothes - so she'll be comfortable while we train and travel._ " By the end of his explanation, Natsu's words were edging on snarls and steam rose from his clenched fists.

The tailor quickly realized he'd sailed into dangerous waters. "Apologies, sir. No offense meant - that sort o' thing happens pretty often 'round 'ere, so I didn't think anythin' o' asking…. I assume you want one o' t'enchantments t'be durability 'n another possibly for heat 'n flame resistance?" Natsu had calmed down a bit, but the other man was eyeing the steam that still wafted in the air around them.

"Yeah," Natsu said, attempting to be civil. "That sounds about right. I have another job for you, though. You remember what I was wearing last time I was here? I need a miniature one just like it that will fit her."

"I can certain'y do 'at for ya. I can do t'spells on these items right now, and I can have t'other order ready in a week. Is 'at suitable?"

* * *

"Geez… who knew kids were so expensive?" Natsu complained as the trio walked toward the library. The shopping bag slung over his back was much lighter than the number of jewels spent on it would suggest.

"It's your fault for being so destructive," Happy patted him on the back with sarcasm. "If we'd been buying stuff for a regular kid it wouldn't have been so bad. The enchantments cost twice as much as the clothes…."

"Well, it was necessary, so whatever. We've got enough left as long as we don't have to pay for a place to stay before we get back to Fairy Tail."

"There's a place called fairy tale? I thought fairy tales were stories…." Orelia piped up at Natsu's side.

Not skipping a beat, Natsu replied, "Oh, Fairy Tail's the guild your mom and I are in. Happy too! That's where all of our friends are waiting for us!"

Happy froze in midair, staring at his best friend in shock.

"YOU DO LLLLLIKE HER! I KNEW IT!"

"…. You know my mama?"

Natsu stopped in his tracks to look at the two in confusion. Happy was flying round and round, giggling, and quietly chanting "I knew it, I knew it!" to himself. _Wait'll I tell Mira!,_ he thought.

Suddenly realizing what he'd said, the homey kitchen scene encroached upon Natsu's mind again. He attempted damage control as his face nearly ignited. "WHOA! _Happy, stuff it!_ Reli, I didn't mean to say that… I don't know your mom…. sorry. I was talkin' about my partner, Lucy. She might end up being something like a mother to you, though! She likes kids and you're the best kid ever!" He took her hand and resumed walking. "Plus, she'll probably make you stay with her because I don't think she'd be ok with you staying at my place…. She'd probably say it's "child embarrassment" or something like that," he muttered the last bit under his breath.

Finally reaching the library, with Happy still outside flying in giddy circles, Natsu and Orelia approached the front desk.

"Yo, we're lookin' for books about Starchild magic. Do you know where we can find them?" he asked.

"Well…. there's on'y one 'at I know of. It'll probably be easier if I find it for ya. Just a minute. You can 'ave a seat if ya like." The bespectacled woman pottered off into the rows of shelves. Natsu wasn't about to complain about not having to do the searching himself.

She reappeared with a small, decrepit children's book in her hands. "Here you go," she said, handing it to Orelia. "It's on'y a fairy tale, but it's all we 'ave. I don' even know if Starchild magic's real'r not. Seems it may jus' be a legend. Let me know if ya need anythin' else." She left them at their table.

Natsu eyed the book skeptically. It didn't have a title and the faded black cover only held the embossed image of a gold star with the silhouette of a person imprinted in its center. He doubted anything useful was to be found in the book, but Orelia was obviously excited by it. "Can you help me read it?" She asked him breathlessly with wide eyes.

 _Geez, I can't say no to her! She's gotta have some kind of innate persuasion magic…._

"Yeah, sure" He said, taking the book. He was relieved to find it mostly contained pictures, and he thought he caught a slight whiff of stardust scent as the old spine crackled in protest. Orelia clambered onto the seat next to him and began reading what she could with Natsu helping her through the parts she didn't understand.

"Once upon a time…."

* * *

… _stars spoke to the world. They had many friends - animals, dragons, gods, demons…._

 _But they loved humans more than any of these._

 _Humans prayed to the stars and spoke to them often, giving them human names and listening to their music while weaving their own into the melodies._

 _The stars loved the humans and their music so much that they danced and formed shapes in the sky by which the humans navigated and planned._

 _Unfortunately, humans grew quickly, aged, and died while the stars observed and lived on. With every generation, the stars found they heard fewer and fewer human voices. Humanity eventually forgot about the stars' voices altogether and could only see the shapes leftover from the ancient dance._

 _The humans began to pray to these shapes instead, and their prayers gave physical form to the Celestial Spirit Realm. Celestial Spirits were born from this collective magic and grew in power, eventually gaining physical form and personalities of their own._

 _Loving humans like the stars did, Celestial Spirits decided to help the humans in their own way. For, though they are the personification of stars, they are not stars and even live in a different world._

 _This is why Celestial Spirits taught humans who knew them best to call to them through gates with magical keys - this was the birth of Celestial Spirit Magic._

 _All this time, the lonely stars watched on and pined for their lost friends, the humans. The Sun in particular missed its special relationship with the inhabitants of Earthland._

 _Wishing to reconnect with them, the Sun sang louder and more passionately than ever before - but, to its dismay, it seemed that no human remembered how to listen to its music._

 _Suddenly, the Sun heard a small song. A human child had heard! The Sun was overcome with joy, casting beautiful aurorae around the world in its exuberance._

 _Sensing the power the child held, the Sun saw he had a unique magic that allowed him to hear its voice. There was a time when all humans had this magic, but no longer._

 _As the child grew into a man, he learned to listen to other stars, becoming great friends with them and sharing in their power. The stars became distressed, though, when they saw that their only friend on Earthland was soon to pass on. They were even fearful he would be the last._

 _The Sun and the human then made a promise - that the stars would always have at least one human friend with whom to share their ancient song. The two friends wove their immense magics into the promise and created Starchild magic._

 _The human whom the stars loved so much gave the last of his strength to ensure his beloved stars always had a human friend._

 _However, the spell forged from their magics worked, and the very day that they said goodbye to their friend, the Sun heard another child's voice singing to the stars._

 _And so it shall be until the stars grow tired of singing._

* * *

They closed the book, both silent in thought.

After a moment, Orelia clutched the old book to her chest and said, quietly, "I'm taking it."

Natsu laughed, the figurative spell broken. "That's my girl!" He said, and, grinning like a madman, threw her and their bags over his shoulder and leapt through the open window.

"Happy! Let's go!" He yelled to their blue companion - who had somehow procured a fish while they read.

"Aye, sir! Wait, what happened? Why are we leaving so quickly?" Happy wiggled his eyebrows at Natsu. "Did Lucy teleport here after hearing what you said?"

"Oi! Of course not! We stole a book, so we're running! Hurry up!"

Orelia laughed as she held onto the precious book for dear life.

"Aw man, the library's gonna have it out for us now!" Happy paled.

"Nah, it's just one book. They might not even notice," Natsu flashed Happy a grin. "Running away is just for fun!"

"Wow, and you call Lucy a weirdo."

* * *

Orelia had fallen asleep on the way back, still hugging her "new" book tightly. Natsu laid her down near the rebuilt fire without waking her. They'd had a long couple of days.

"NOOOOO!" Natsu jumped at the unexpected wail.

"Happy, what's wrong?!"

"We forgot fishing line! How are we gonna catch fish now?!" He was beside himself with grief.

Natsu ruffled the top of his furry head. "You know where the shop is, right? You can go into town tomorrow morning on a special solo mission while Reli and me train! You can get some of those parfait things too 'cause I dunno what's gonna happen if Reli realizes we forgot them…" he grimaced imagining the girl's potentially violent heartbreak. "We have enough fishing line for tonight, and I can go catch something else for me."

Happy's countenance brightened at the thought of a special solo mission and he went about fishing for his and Orelia's dinner.

* * *

Natsu knew it was nearly time for him and Happy to make their way back toward Fiore - his promised year was nearly up and he was more than ready to see his guildmates again.

 _Maybe not señor frosty balls._ ….

Thing was, he hadn't counted on returning with another tiny companion, and Reli was _definitely_ coming to Fairy Tail with them. No question about that. However, he hadn't factored her into their return time and her little legs were going to slow them down a bit. He or Happy could carry her most of the way, but that wouldn't be any help to her training. With the way the world was, she needed to build endurance - that was just unavoidable.

Natsu eyed the book in Orelia's arms. He was certain Lucy would be able to get much more meaning out of it than he could. She was the best at things like that. _If we left tomorrow_ , he mused, _it would probably take us about a month of walking to get back…. Luce'd kill me if she heard I'd dragged a kid all the way back on foot, but it'd be good experience for Reli… especially if she decides to join the guild, which she will. Crocus is even further than Magnolia though… so we'd definitely need to start now. Shit, that tailor guy said it'd take a week…._ He had tried his hardest to avoid considering transportation, but it looked like they didn't have any other option. _If we took a train to Clover Town, we could walk the rest of the way and just avoid towns and stuff while we train…. That way we could get the death machine over with, finish training, AND be in Crocus for the games! That's where Fairy Tail will be anyway!_

* * *

I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far! I hope I live up to all of your expectations! _  
_

Response to guest review!

Sorry, I'd love to have sent this as a message, but since it was a guest review, I'll reply here!

I really appreciate the effort you put into writing that thorough response! I'm so glad there are people who can critique without being snarky. As you said, I should probably go through and read the whole series again - I'm sure my view of many of the characters have been skewed by my avid fanfic reading! I think my interpretation of Natsu's status as "strongest demon" must have stuck because of Zeref's apparently mistaken belief that Natsu was the only person/thing who could defeat him - meaning he was the strongest demon by default even without being connected to Tartaros. Whether Natsu chose to tap into this power or not was his own decision - hence the only time he was overwhelmingly OP as END was his utter demolition of Dimaria when he lost himself in the belief that Lucy had been killed or would soon die. Either way, my connecting him to Tartaros was definitely incorrect.

As for how the characters address each other or themselves and their characteristics... again, I guess I do just need to reread! Now that the series has ended (*cries*) all I can think of is reading Natsu addressing Lucy as Luce in speech bubbles. How's that for confirmation bias? 0_0

Again, thanks so much for your review! This is exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for!

Stay tuned for the next chapter! 


	4. Chapter 4: Effort

Orelia's normally fluffy hair was drenched and clung to her face uncomfortably. As much as she preferred being outside at nearly all times, she'd rather be in a clammy cave than basically swimming through such a deluge. Luckily, they'd all woken up before the rain really settled in, so they'd had time to hide most of their camping gear - and Orelia's beloved book - suspended from a branch beneath Natsu's traveling cloak.

"Natsu-niiiii," she grumbled as she wiped hair and water out of her eyes, "do we _have_ to train in the rain?"

"Yep! We've only got a few days left before we have to hit the road! Besides, the rain'll let up in an hour or so. It'd take about that long for us to find shelter, so what's the point?" The pair finally made it to the giant puddle that was Natsu's training area.

"I don't think I'll be able to talk to Sol today…." Orelia said, sadly. "There's too many clouds in the way."

Natsu tried not to look too relieved. "That just means we'll do combat training instead! I wanted to start teaching you how to defend yourself anyway. Alright, watch me and try to copy what I do!"

He stood, legs akimbo, right elbow tucked to his side with his left arm and fist extended. Orelia fell into the same pose, fighting the urge to wipe water out of her eyes.

"Okay, basic punch first. As you push straight out with your fist," he demonstrated slowly as he spoke, "you're going to twist your hand and put your knuckles on top. Pull your other arm in at the same time."

Orelia copied.

"Good, now do the opposite side. Breathe out with each punch."

She copied again.

"Alright, now faster. Make sure to tuck your thumbs around your fingers or you'll break them when you hit stuff."

They both performed a few more punches and Natsu stepped back to observe her. She had good form, kept her back straight without instruction, and was very quick on the uptake - again. _Seems like she won't be hard to teach,_ he thought.

"Okay, keep that form and do one hundred sets. That means one hundred with each arm. I'm gonna go work on my own stuff and I'll be back in a little bit to check on you, sound good? You can count out loud if that helps you keep track - that's what I used to do!"

Orelia nearly fell over. One hundred?! She nodded anyway with furrowed brows - her stubbornness winning over her objections.

"One…. Two…. Three…."

* * *

By the count of eighty, Orelia's pace had dropped significantly. Her legs were tired, her shoulders and arms burned, she wanted to wipe her wet face, but she wanted to impress Natsu-nii more. She continued, hoping the rain would finally let up so she could feel Sol's warmth on her cold skin. She was glad Natsu had stayed near her to practice - she could feel a bit of heat with each of his attacks and that helped her to stay the course, though it just wasn't the same as the sun.

"Ninety-one…. Ninety-two…."

The rain dwindled to half-hearted mist.

"Ninety-eight, ninety-NINE, ONE HUNDRED!"

Orelia cheered triumphantly and collapsed on the soggy ground.

"Hey!" Natsu jogged over to her prone form. "You finished before I came to check on you - good job! I expected you to take a break part-way through!" He crouched next to her. "You're all soggy and gross. I can help with that."

He stood and posed, fists together, and expelled an intense heatwave that immediately evaporated any moisture within a 50-yard radius.

Orelia stared. "Can you teach me to do that?! I hate wearing wet clothes!"

"Probably! But we need to know if you can produce your own fire first. That's why I had you practice punching! Ready for your next subject?"

"Mhm!" Orelia jumped up and resumed her punching stance, relieved to finally have dry hair.

"Here we go," Natsu began. "I know you can feel your magic, so concentrate on it and try to move it to your hands. Then, when you punch, let it out right at the end!" He demonstrated and a jet of fire flew from his fist.

Orelia copied the movement, but there was no fire.

"What did I do wrong?" She looked to Natsu with disappointment only to find him ogling her.

"That is so cool," he said in apparent awe.

"Huh?"

"Your hair is fire."

"WHAT?" She frantically patted her head trying to save her hair, but Natsu stopped her.

"It's not _on fire_ it _is fire!_ " He hoisted her up and all but sprinted to the nearby stream unsure how long the phenomenon would last. The stream was swollen from the recent rain, but smooth enough to see a decent reflection.

"Look at yourself!" He said and held her at arm's length above the fast-flowing water.

He was wrong. It wasn't cool, it was totally awesome! Where her peachy hair usually sat was a flowing, seaweed-like fire - starting blue at the roots and fading into violent tendrils of orange, red, and yellow. It was beautiful and startling. Natsu put her down on the pebbly riverbank.

"How do I turn it off?" She asked, a little nervous.

"I dunno…. I've never been able to do that. Maybe dunk your head underwater?"

She tried it and only produced an inordinate amount of steam… and got her clothes all wet again.

"Nope. Maybe it's like a light switch in your brain? Do you remember how it felt to turn it on? Could you do that, but backwards?"

The suggestion didn't really make sense, but Orelia mostly understood his meaning. She closed her eyes and concentrated on pushing flames into and out of her hands, unknowingly making her hair-flames surge a bit, then concentrated on absorbing them until they vanished. She slowly opened her eyes and inspected her rippling reflection.

Her hair was back to normal.

"Well," Natsu said, "I guess this means you can make your own fire, so that's something we can work with! I bet with some training, you can control where it appears. I used to accidentally set my feet on fire instead of my hands… and my hands on fire instead of my feet…. Plus it took me forever to breathe fire on purpose." He paused, not wanting to consider his own suggestion. "Maybe… the next time you talk to Sol, you can ask about it?"

Orelia perked up a bit at the thought. "It's still so cloudy though…. I'll have to wait til later."

"That's okay! We still have a lot to work on even without worrying about magic!" He picked her up and placed her on his shoulders again as they headed back to the clearing. "Now, if a stranger grabs you - that'll never happen if I'm around, but just in case - if they try to cover your face with their hands, bite 'em! And if your hands are free, go for the eyes! Don't try to play fair with someone who's a lot bigger and stronger than you!"

* * *

Orelia collapsed on the ground by the cold remnants of last night's campfire. High kicks, lunges, squats, push-ups, jump-tucks… all one hundred sets apiece, plus random sprints around the clearing. She was exhausted and more than a little hungry.

 _Happy should be back with lunch by now, right?_ She thought.

"NATSUUUU!"

 _There he is._

Obviously distressed, Happy hovered in front of Natsu holding a piece of paper.

"I told you they'd have it out for us! Look what I found!"

Natsu took the paper and frowned.

"Is this supposed to mean something?" He asked.

"What is it?" Orelia jumped up to look. "They look kinda like people. Is the one with pink spikes supposed to be you? I guess the poofy orange thing is me. Our teeth aren't really that scary looking, right?" She prodded her canines gingerly.

Happy scowled. "You guys stole that book and now the library is telling everyone you're thieves! Lucky they didn't see me when you took it, so nobody tried to throw me in jail while I got fishing line! Oh, and I got your yogurt thingies, Reli." He handed the girl a bag full of parfait cups and a spoon.

" _Thank you, Happy."_ Without looking up, she took the bag to her spot and dug in.

Natsu shook his head and looked at the paper again. It read:

 **BOOK THIEVES. Male, young adult. Female, young child. Names unknown. If sighted, please alert local authorities. Do not serve! Protect your wares! - Head Librarian**

"Geez, really? It's just one old book. That library hag's overreacting. And this drawing's terrible - nobody would recognize us from this anyway!"

"Natsu, you two are the only people with those hair colors in the whole town - plus, spiky teeth aren't all that common, and these flyers are everywhere! The police have them. The guards at the gates have them. They're in shop windows. Everyone would recognize you!"

"Aww, who cares? We're only gonna be here for another week anyway. Let 'em think we're thieves! At least we didn't wreck the town."

Orelia spoke up. "Natsu-nii, do you have anything to write with?"

"Uh, I think we can use charcoal, but what for?"

"I wanna write the library lady a letter! But I don't know how to write all the words…."

"I'm not very good with words either… but I'll help if that's what you wanna do. Let's eat lunch first though!"

* * *

A few days went by with training and meditation ruling Orelia's and Natsu's schedules. Orelia hadn't been able to contact Sol again since her first trance episode, though not for lack of trying. Natsu wondered if that was more Sol's doing than Orelia's shortcoming, and he appreciated the star's consideration for his nerves. He felt that Orelia needed to refine her magic a little more before contacting them again.

Orelia had been practicing her punching form for what felt like hours trying to produce some kind of magical attack, when, suddenly, it happened.

"NATSU-NII, COME LOOK!"

"Your fire hair is super cool, Reli, but I'm gettin' kinda used to it."

"Not that, meanie! Watch!" She punched with her left hand and what looked like miniature tongues of fire erupted from her fist, curling around randomly before they dissipated.

"Whoa, those didn't look like normal flames! What was that? Do it again!"

She produced a few more in rapid succession.

"I bet if you give it a name you'll be able to make a special attack out of it! Like this!" He turned to face the opposite side of the clearing, and shouted, "FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" A much larger than usual flame consumed his fist and set the scorched grass on fire again.

"Uh… ok." She thought for a moment and mustered up her resolve. She wasn't sure the name was correct, but it _felt right_. "I don't really know what's gonna happen, so watch out…"

"I'll be fine! Go ahead! Just do whatever feels right!"

After a slow breath, Orelia galloped forward, lept into a lunge position, and thrust her left hand forward, palm out, shouting, "SOLAR FLARE!"

The resulting explosion rocketed her backward into an astonished Natsu. The ground shook, the air shimmered, and massive tongues of flame whipped around the clearing making the surrounding trees sway in their wake.

"Are you sure you're only five!?" Natsu asked. "I was only expecting a little puff of sparks or something, but you would've demolished the whole clearing if it wasn't already empty!"

Orelia didn't respond - didn't move. Looking down, he noticed her normal hair... and glowing eyes. He groaned in frustration. Propping her up against a nearby tree so he could watch over her as he resumed his own training, he thought to himself, _If that old fart keeps you there for thirteen hours again, we're gonna have to have a talk._

* * *

"Welcome back, child!"

Orelia scowled into the golden haze. "I've been trying to talk to you for days, and then it happens when I don't try…."

Sol laughed their musical laugh, "I brought you here to congratulate you, yet you complain! Your efforts have not been in vain, child, but your first excursion here left you quite drained. I thought it best to wait before speaking to you again. The next time you try to speak to me, I will answer."

"What did you want to congratulate me for?"

"Why, you've remembered a spell! We thought you'd be very pleased with yourself! Solar Flare is the first spell we taught you - the first spell we teach all Starchildren."

"But I didn't remember… I just tried what felt right and woke up here. Does Natsu-nii know I'm here?"

"Yes, he's not panicking this time, so not to worry. I'll send you back soon. Now, how do you think you knew to call that spell by its correct name? It's because we taught it to you in your former time. Your mother had hoped beyond hope that your magic would be less than destructive - more like hers - but to no avail. We stars can't help but to be overly energetic! We tend to produce some… flashy results. She was very happy that you would be able to defend yourself, at least."

"You know a lot about Mama… but what about Papa? You haven't said anything about him…."

"I'm sorry, child, we never knew your father. He was gone before we met you or your mother. Your mother couldn't bring herself to speak of him very often. She would say that he wouldn't want her to dwell on the past. All we know is that he sacrificed himself to save you both. You were born into a very troubled time and were lucky to leave it. If not for a good friend of your mother's, you would have been lost as well. It would have been a shame to lose a Starchild so early. But, like we said, your mother was a clever woman. She made sure you appeared in a time that had a chance to achieve peace - in which you could grow into the mage she knew you had the potential to be. If not for your parents, you would already be in the afterlife with them, child. You owe them much respect."

"I can't speak to Mama anymore, huh?"

"No, child. She lived long enough to make sure you were in safe hands, but her spirit is no longer in this plane. I will answer more questions when you return. Until then, rest. You will feel weak when you awaken; you used more magic than you should have on such a cloudy day."

"Wait! I'm supposed to ask you what my mama's name is!"

"Child, the answer to that question would only bring you pain now. Have patience."

* * *

The world was blurrier than it should have been, and Orelia realized she was crying. Her parents were dead. She would never see them.

"Natsu-nii, can we go home?" She sniffled.

"Hey, you're awake! I was about to take you back anyway - it's dinnertime and…. Oi, are you okay?"

Orelia wiped her nose. "My mama and papa are dead…. Sol told me. And even if they weren't, I'd never be able to meet them. I'm not from now... I don't have a family…." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I don't remember what Mama looks like, and I never met Papa…."

"Reli, look at me." Natsu sat on the ground in front of her.

"Huh?"

"You have a family. Happy and me are your family. And when we get to Fairy Tail, they'll be your family too. You'll have a grandpa, and a bunch of crazy aunts and uncles, and even a cranky grandma who hides in her house most of the time. We're never gonna be apart again. Understand?"

Orelia, still crying, nodded and crawled into Natsu's lap, hugging him around the middle.

"Okay, okay," Natsu said, patting her head, "are you hungry? Because I'm starving."

She nodded again, but didn't let go.

"Wanna ride?"

Another nod.

He lifted her onto his back so she could wrap her arms around his neck.

By the time they got back, she had cried herself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Change of Plans

A/N

Hey everyone! I wanted to apologize for the sporadic and now extremely delayed (holy cow I'm so sorry) release schedule - I just started a new job that severely shortens the time I have to work on fun things! I'm bad at time-management in the first place, so now, with even less time than I had before, I'm having to retrain myself to work on things gradually instead of in long bursts as I usually prefer to work. I'm also reading about professional self-editing for writers and am learning more about how to improve my technique! This all adds up to more time between chapter releases, but once I establish better habits, it will become more regular.

On another note - this story is taking on a life of its own. I was originally intending for everything to somewhat flow along with the canon storyline and to work with the canon character personalities, but it's been so long since I've read the manga and I'm so jaded about the ending (Though yay for 100 Year Quest and Eden's Zero! Wooo!) that I'm just going to let this story go where it wants to.

*** SPOILER RANT ***

Honestly, Mashima? I know this is a shonen, but I was DYING for some kind of solid NaLu relationship confirmation…. I know it was perfect and in character for Natsu to just be like, "Yeah she smells like Anna, obviously that's why I like her." and "Duh, we're going to be together and go on adventures forever," but my NaLu fangirl heart WANTS MORE. Also, to anyone who's been keeping up with 100 Year Quest, what's up with that Touka girl? Everyone's freaking out about the possible "love triangle" but that's so unlikely that it's laughable - however, she is SUPER sketchy! Not only is Jellal going after her now, but the original story of "Natsu coming to save her on a white steed" - when the hell did that ever happen? Nothing about her story makes sense, if only because Natsu hates transportation. I'm kinda stoked to see what in the world Mashima has planned for her character, though! That and Juvia and Gajeel working together is all kinds of adorable.

*** END SPOILER***

Anyway, I may just exercise the frustration about the utter lack of canon NaLu fluff with this story. We'll see ;)

This chapter is a bit short, but a chapter is a chapter! Thanks for your patience with me!

Dear Miss Library Lady,

I know stealing is wrong but this book is realy important to me. Its so important that I need to keep it for a long time. I don't know if I will be able to come back to this town to give it back to you. I am sorry for that.

Here is some money to pay you back for the book and here is a flower as an apology. Sorry if the moneys not enough. Please don't be angry at me and my friends.

\- Star Child

Orelia put her burnt stick down and held the repurposed wrapper up with scrutiny. "I hope it's good enough," she said.

"I'm still not sure if _its_ needs one of those loopy thingies or not," Natsu shrugged, "but I think the library lady will get the idea anyway. Your handwriting's pretty good! Whoever taught you did a good job."

"I like writing," she said, "I think that's something I did with my mama…. She probably wouldn't be happy that I stole a book."

Natsu saw her trying to hold back tears again. She'd been doing that since she last spoke to Sol and learned her parents were no longer alive. He bundled her up in his arms. "Your mama must have been great then. My pops was amazing, and he taught me a lot of things, but I had to learn to read and write from a terrifying girl with red hair and way too many weapons. She taught us by force." He suppressed a shudder. "She did a good job with us, but she's too scary."

"I didn't think you were scared of anything, Natsu-nii. Is she super strong?"

Natsu was relieved to see she wasn't almost-crying anymore. "I'm scared of a lot of things, Peaches, but Erza is the scariest person I know. She's even scarier than Gramps. Gramps is stronger than her, but he's more fun."

"You have a grandpa?"

"Well, not by blood, but he's definitely my gramps - he'll be yours too! He's the master of Fairy Tail. He calls everyone in the guild his kids."

"I think I'd like to have a gramps," she said.

"Well good! We're heading out today to go see everyone, but it'll take a while to get there." He threw her burnt stick into the campfire. "Happy, I'm sorry buddy, but could you run some more errands before we ship out this morning?"

Orelia enjoyed the trip. Before they got too far out of town, the librarian caught up with them and scolded them for stealing, but thanked Orelia for her nice note. She said she wasn't mad, so Orelia didn't worry about it anymore. The librarian even invited them back to the town and said she would take down the poorly drawn posters. Orelia didn't know what to think about Natsu-nii's intolerance of trains, but she tried not to tease him about it since she knew it wasn't his fault that he felt sick. Once Natsu finally fell into an obviously uncomfortable sleep, she and Happy played games to pass the time. She once made the mistake of asking Happy who Charle was, at which point he forgot about the game they were playing and rambled on about his unrequited admiration for nearly an hour. Happy had been able to buy her some parfaits before they left, so she ate a couple of them and played and practiced forms on the floor of their car.

Starting on her third parfait, she wondered out loud, "What's Lucy like?"

Happy saw his chance. Throwing a malicious glance toward his sleeping companion, he said, "She's Natsu's girlfriend. She's really weird, she's not anywhere close to as pretty as Charle, but she's a pretty good friend and she's way smarter than Natsu. She has weird magic that calls super weird spirits to come help her."

"What's a girlfriend?"

Happy hadn't counted on the question and he wasn't sure how to answer. His prank wasn't really developing the way he wanted it to. "Well… it's a friend... who's a girl… who you like more than all the other girls you know… who you spend a lot of alone-time with… who you think is really smart and fun to be with - but she has to like you too. Being girlfriend and boyfriend is something two people have to agree on." Definitely not developing the way he wanted it to!

"Oh, that sounds nice. Kinda like a mama and papa."

 _There we go!_ Happy thought to himself, _this will be fun later_. "Yeah! Sometimes mamas and papas are boyfriend and girlfriend before they become mamas and papas - and they don't always have to be boy and girl, but they are sometimes."

"I guess that makes sense," Orelia said, "Mamas and papas should like each other, otherwise that wouldn't be very fun for a kid."

"I hadn't really thought about it like that, but I guess you're right." Happy said.

"Luce… pancakes are burnin'… ughh." Nastu mumbled and shifted in his sleep.

Happy and Orelia looked at each other and stifled their laughter.

Happy nearly forgot to grab Natsu to get him off the train at the right station, but they made it at the last moment. Playing with Happy during the train ride was fun, but Orelia was happy when Natsu was back to his usual, albeit still slightly green, self.

"Alright," Natsu said, taking Orelia's hand, "We need to walk the rest of the way, but we'll be camping, and we're not going to stop in towns unless we have to. We don't want anyone to recognize us until we make our big entrance, so we're going to hike most of the way."

"It's a good thing we got off before Magnolia or everyone would have recognized us!" Happy said.

"Are you guys famous?" Orelia asked.

"We're _super_ famous." Natsu said.

"Maybe _infamous_ …." Happy said.

"People know us in Magnolia 'cause that's where Fairy Tail is, but no one's at the guild now because of the Grand Magic Games. That's why we're walking to Crocus! We're gonna sneak in and surprise everyone! There's a river we can follow most of the way there, so that's what we're gonna do."

"Yes! Tons of fish!"

"How long will it take to get there?" Orelia asked.

"We're only going to walk half days so we can train some on the way. It'll take us a couple of weeks." Natsu said.

"We're going to be outside a whole lot, right?" She continued.

"Yep, all the time. Why?"

"Good. I missed Sol. The train was ok, but outside is better."

Natsu ruffled her fluffy hair. "I knew I liked you, Peaches," he said.

"Happy, you're whining more than Reli."

"I know, but I'm hungryyyyy."

"Well then catch a fish, the river's right there."

"Can we eat something other than fish?"

"Why would anyone ever want to eat something other than fish?"

"I could catch something for us. Want to go hunting with me, Reli?"

"Yeah!"

"You guys can do that. I'm gonna go catch fish."

Day five of their journey to Crocus found Orelia, Happy, and Natsu exactly smack in the middle of nowhere. Not lost, but also not anywhere exciting.

"Natsu-nii, if we find something big enough, can it count as training for today?" Orelia asked.

"Maybe if you take it down by yourself, but it's gonna have to be a big one!"

"It'll be the biggest!"

"I'll help you find one fast, but I'll let you fight it! Hop on my shoulders and we'll stay in the trees and sneak up on something."

They searched together for a while, coming upon a few beasts that just weren't _quite_ big enough, when Natsu caught a whiff of something that shouldn't have been in the middle of a remote forest. It made him nauseous just to think about it.

"Reli, there's something dangerous up ahead. I'm gonna leave you here and come back, alright?"

"No."

"Huh?"

"Take me with you."

"I'll only be gone for a few minutes. I don't want you to get hurt."

She tightened her little arms around his neck like a vice. "No."

"Reli, this isn't a game."

"I can help. Sol says I can help."

"Sol isn't your mama or your papa. Sol doesn't get to make decisions for you."

"You're not my papa either."

Her words stung enough to surprise him, but he didn't have time to argue even if he thought he could win - which he didn't. "Fine. But if you make any noise, things could get bad. Hold on and keep quiet. Breathe into my scarf, it'll keep your breathing quieter."

Natsu moved downwind of the stench and dropped onto a lower branch so he could see through the leaves. Thousands of horses with armored riders crowded close together in the underbrush. Natsu wasn't close enough to the front of the procession to see who was leading it, but he could tell these soldiers weren't from Fiore. They all seemed to radiate a strange dark aura and they stood so perfectly still that there was no doubt they were enchanted somehow.

He thought to himself that he could probably knock most of them out if he tried, but what then? He could see Orelia's wide eyes peeking over his shoulder at the strange soldiers, and he knew it wouldn't be right for him to risk it. He climbed back up and started making his way back to where they left Happy. They were going to have to cut their trip short and head straight to Crocus and Fairy Tail… even if that meant taking another train.


End file.
